Cameron is doing well. I haven't had to take him for blood work yet this week. He gets about a bruise a day but to me they aren't bad enough to put him through labs. He is getting tired of me checking him for bruises though. Until we figure out what his baseline platelet count is things will be frustrating for all of us. At least this is what I have read. I have also read that for the first month or even two the counts can, and usually do, fluctuate quite a bit. So far 113k is the highest we have gotten and this is a good number. Not normal but good.
The kids are going to their dad's this weekend. I will just be hanging out here I think. Mowing my wheat field and going to the pool. My friend from high school is having his annual summerfest party but I haven't decided on that yet. We gave Guinness away last week. We were able to find him a home with one of the gals who works at the vet. Her parents live on a farm and have another lab for him to play with. Also her father is home all day and I think that will help Guinness a lot. His anxiety meds were up to 3 and I just couldn't afford that along with having to board him when I was gone. I think he will be much happier where he can run and play all the time.
Summer is moving along though. The way it started out has made it seem like a slow one. The inconsistent weather doesn't help either. ICK.
I took the kiddos to the Chicago burbs last weekend and we had a great time. We went to the Legoland Discovery Center in Schaumberg and it was AWESOME! I highly recommend it. We went to the Geneva Pool with my girlfriend and her kids for 4 hours on Sunday and that was fabulous. Very nice pool. I went out with Chris for dinner on Saturday night. Love girl time with her. Scott surprised me and showed up. I didn't think I was going to see him except for Friday night. He came over to my mom's for a couple of hours with me and the kids. Saturday the marines were doing security for Kenny Chesney at Soldier Field. He left early so he could see me for a little bit. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend very much time together but it was nice to see him for a bit and very nice of him to surprise me.
Here's to hoping the summer picks up. I am sure it will. Having to deal with another medical diagnosis in one of my kids has been a bit overwhelming and I am still trying to figure out "why?" even though that is a question I will never get an answer to.
Cheers!
A
"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
Francis Bacon
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Summer is Here....
But what would summer be without a little drama?
We finally got through the school year but the illnesses that hit our household continued until pretty much the very last day. Connor, however, is now a fifth grader and Cameron is a second grader. I can't believe that Connor has only one more year left in the same school with me. This makes me sad to say the least. Kyla is sad that she won't get to start school next fall. Since her birthday is the end of September she missed the cut off so she will always be one of the oldest in her class. She is soooo ready to go now. She will tell you that too.
I must let you all know of the drama that we had this past week. Cameron, as everyone knows, is a VERY active and rough playing little boy who always has bruises on his legs. The way he throws his body around I am convinced he will be a UFC fighter one day. Anyway, I noticed last week that he had a significantly larger amount of bruises on his legs but chalked it up to more time outside with the neighbors. Then on Monday when I picked him up from daycare I noticed a very large bruise on his back. It looks like he had gotten beamed with a baseball. When I asked him about it he had no idea there was anything on his back at all. I found this hard to believe but he is a tough kid. He finally told me that he had played dodge ball at day care and I figured he had gotten hit. The next day I showed the daycare providers and they were alarmed and suggested I take him to the doctor to have it looked at as the balls they use would not make such a huge mark. So I did. They ordered blood work and then the drama. Cameron's platelet count came back at 33,000. Low end of normal is 150,000. So the docs here were going to wait 2 weeks to repeat labs but that didn't seem right to me, especially with our history. To me low platelets is a HUGE red flag. So I called the University and talked with Connor's oncologist. She had me bring him up on Wednesday where they did their own blood work. Luckily his platelets were up to 45,000 but he was diagnosed with ITP. A blood disorder where his body is not recognizing its own platelets and fights them off. The good news is that this, if monitored closely, is not life threatening and there are treatment options. Poor active Cameron is out of his rough play mode though until his platelets reach at least 50,000. He will get his counts checked pretty regularly starting next week. The docs won't do a treatment on him to raise the counts unless the count drops to 20,000 or lower. From what I have read kids who are diagnosed with ITP usually go into remission by 6 months so that is very good news. I am very happy that it wasn't what we all feared and I know this is something that will be okay in the end. However right now, until we get his platelets up above 50,000 and stablized there I won't be completely at ease. Especially because of how active he is.
So, there you go, yet another medical issue we need to deal with and how bizarre that it is another blood thing. I am thankful though that he is with the same oncologist that Connor is with. Keep it in the family.
I am also trying to find a new home for Guinness. He has developed yet some more behavioral issues and he has become too much for me to deal with both financially and emotionally. It breaks my heart but my time and energy(and money) need to go to
my kids.
So I am starting this summer with a little break to get rejuvinated up here in North Chicago with Scott. He has reserves this weekend and will probably find out sometime this weekend if he is getting deployed. If he does this may be the last time I see him before he leaves. So, getting some Scott time and relaxing and I am going to let go of the things that just are.
Cheers!
A
We finally got through the school year but the illnesses that hit our household continued until pretty much the very last day. Connor, however, is now a fifth grader and Cameron is a second grader. I can't believe that Connor has only one more year left in the same school with me. This makes me sad to say the least. Kyla is sad that she won't get to start school next fall. Since her birthday is the end of September she missed the cut off so she will always be one of the oldest in her class. She is soooo ready to go now. She will tell you that too.
I must let you all know of the drama that we had this past week. Cameron, as everyone knows, is a VERY active and rough playing little boy who always has bruises on his legs. The way he throws his body around I am convinced he will be a UFC fighter one day. Anyway, I noticed last week that he had a significantly larger amount of bruises on his legs but chalked it up to more time outside with the neighbors. Then on Monday when I picked him up from daycare I noticed a very large bruise on his back. It looks like he had gotten beamed with a baseball. When I asked him about it he had no idea there was anything on his back at all. I found this hard to believe but he is a tough kid. He finally told me that he had played dodge ball at day care and I figured he had gotten hit. The next day I showed the daycare providers and they were alarmed and suggested I take him to the doctor to have it looked at as the balls they use would not make such a huge mark. So I did. They ordered blood work and then the drama. Cameron's platelet count came back at 33,000. Low end of normal is 150,000. So the docs here were going to wait 2 weeks to repeat labs but that didn't seem right to me, especially with our history. To me low platelets is a HUGE red flag. So I called the University and talked with Connor's oncologist. She had me bring him up on Wednesday where they did their own blood work. Luckily his platelets were up to 45,000 but he was diagnosed with ITP. A blood disorder where his body is not recognizing its own platelets and fights them off. The good news is that this, if monitored closely, is not life threatening and there are treatment options. Poor active Cameron is out of his rough play mode though until his platelets reach at least 50,000. He will get his counts checked pretty regularly starting next week. The docs won't do a treatment on him to raise the counts unless the count drops to 20,000 or lower. From what I have read kids who are diagnosed with ITP usually go into remission by 6 months so that is very good news. I am very happy that it wasn't what we all feared and I know this is something that will be okay in the end. However right now, until we get his platelets up above 50,000 and stablized there I won't be completely at ease. Especially because of how active he is.
So, there you go, yet another medical issue we need to deal with and how bizarre that it is another blood thing. I am thankful though that he is with the same oncologist that Connor is with. Keep it in the family.
I am also trying to find a new home for Guinness. He has developed yet some more behavioral issues and he has become too much for me to deal with both financially and emotionally. It breaks my heart but my time and energy(and money) need to go to
my kids.
So I am starting this summer with a little break to get rejuvinated up here in North Chicago with Scott. He has reserves this weekend and will probably find out sometime this weekend if he is getting deployed. If he does this may be the last time I see him before he leaves. So, getting some Scott time and relaxing and I am going to let go of the things that just are.
Cheers!
A
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